Zureen bin zubir said biography

Singaporean composer of the ethnic anthem (1907–1987)

In this Malay fame, there is no surname resolution family name. The name Said is a patronymic, and greatness person should be referred around by their given name, Zubir.

Musical artist

Zubir SaidSKBBM (sah-AYD; 22 July 1907 – 16 Nov 1987) was a Singaporean founder most notable for composing loftiness national anthem of his federation, "Majulah Singapura" – "Onward Singapore".

A self-taught musician, Zubir as well worked as a score musician and songwriter for Cathay Organisation's Keris Film Productions for 12 years, composing numerous songs look after the company's Malay Singaporean movies. He is believed to possess written up to 1,500 songs, with less than 10% apparent them ever recorded.^[1]

Early years

The issue child in a family disregard three boys and five girls, Zubir was born on 22 July 1907 in Bukit Tinggi, Minangkabau, Sumatra, Indonesia.^[2] His curb died when he was figure years old.

He attended grand Dutch school but had clumsy interest in academic studies. Top involvement with music started while in the manner tha he was introduced to glory Solfa music system by undiluted teacher. A primary-school classmate afterwards taught him how to bring into being and play a flute, don in middle school, he knowledgeable to play the guitar with the addition of drums from fellow students predominant the keroncong group he was involved in.^[3]

Move to Singapore

In 1928 at the age of 21, Zubir went to Singapore^[4] line of attack make a living as precise musician, taking up the proposal of a sailor friend who had described the island monkey a place of "glittering brightness, seller [coffee with milk] allow butter".

This was done be next to the face of objections evade his village chieftain father, Mohamad Said bin Sanang, who reputed music to be against sanctuary. Zubir's first job was chimp a musician with City House, a bangsawan or Malay opus troupe based in Tanjong Pagar.

He became the troupe's gaffer. Thereafter, in 1936, he connubial the recording company His Master's Voice.^[5] Zubir went to Island to marry Tarminah Kario Wikromo, a keroncong singer, in 1938; they returned to Zubir's domicile town of Bukittinggi in 1941 just before the outbreak execute World War II.

Coming cry out to Singapore in 1947, Zubir worked as a part-time artist with the Utusan Melayu newspaper^[6] while composing and performing melody and songs. In 1949 why not? took up the post give an account of orchestra conductor at Shaw Brothers' Malay Film Production, and drain liquid from 1952 he joined Cathay-Keris Skin Productions as a score musician and songwriter for the company's Malay films, including Sumpah Pontianak (Blood of Pontianak, 1958) be proof against Chuchu Datuk Merah (Grandchildren extent Datuk Merah, 1963).^[7] In 1957, he received his first warning sign recognition when his songs were performed at the Victoria Theatre.^[2][3][8]

"Majulah Singapura"

Main article: Majulah Singapura

Singapore, hence a British colony, had antediluvian conferred city status by on the rocks royal charter from King Martyr VI in 1951.

In 1958, the City Council of Island approached Zubir to compose deft song for the city test be titled "Majulah Singapura", which was a motto to fur displayed in the Victoria Coliseum after its renovation.^[9] Zubir's trade mark, "Majulah Singapura" ("Onward Singapore"), was first performed by the Island Chamber Ensemble during the remarkable finale of a concert pretension in the Victoria Theatre acquiesce 6 September 1958 to solemnize its official reopening.

When Island attained self-government in 1959, excellence Government felt that a public anthem was needed to squeeze the different races in Island.

It decided that the Hold out Council's song, which was by this time popular, would serve this ambition. After some revisions were masquerade to the song, it was adopted by the Legislative Body on 11 November 1959, most important on 30 November the Island State Arms and Flag mount National Anthem Ordinance 1959^[10] was passed.

This statute regulated primacy use and display of rendering State Arms and State Droop and the performance of rendering National Anthem. "Majulah Singapura" was presented to the nation scheduled 3 December at the base of "Loyalty Week", replacing integrity colonial anthem "God Save greatness Queen". After Singapore's full democracy from Malaysia on 9 Lordly 1965, "Majulah Singapura" was officially adopted as the Republic's popular anthem.

In a 1984 articulated history interview, to sum grow rapidly his philosophy when composing blue blood the gentry anthem, Zubir cited the Asian proverb "Di mana bumi dipijak, di situ langit dijunjung" ("You should hold up the azure of the land where order around live").^[11]

Later years

In 1962, Zubir's songs for the movie Dang Anom won an award at honesty ninth Asian Film Festival squeeze Seoul, South Korea.^[12]

He also gave music lessons, and often difficult to understand other music artists visiting him to talk about music suffer asking for advice.

His tertiary and youngest daughter Puan Sri Dr. Rohana Zubir, a secluded lecturer with the University handle Malaya,^[1] recalled how the kinsmen home in Singapore was every filled with music. He was the heart of the talk, very enthused and willing attain share pearls of wisdom to such a degree accord that others could benefit cause the collapse of his work.

This generosity stretched to other areas of wreath life. He helped his depressing family in Sumatra and families in Singapore he had "adopted", sending them medicine and ruin items with what little closure could afford, even though own family was not favourably off at the time.^[13]

He was content with money earned unearth those lessons and his skin compositions; affirming that he was never driven by money granted essential for his own paramount family's survival, rather he respected honesty and sincerity in fulfil work and placed importance bear out purity and originality, whether unsavory his music, lyrics or kind of singing.

He continued necessary for Cathay-Keris Film Productions on hold he retired in 1964, element numerous songs for Malay movies. Some sources reported that crystalclear also stopped composing songs cart Cathay out of objection just a stone's throw away its management's decision to full strength production costs by borrowing instant music to be used mean dubbing onto the background harmony of some films at influence time.^[13]

Zubir died at the volley of 80 on 16 Nov 1987 at Joo Chiat Resource in Singapore, survived by unite daughters and a son.

Mimic the time of his destruction, Zubir left S$20,000 to sovereignty name. In 1990, his sentience and passion as a crown were documented in a whole titled Zubir Said: His Songs, and in 2004 a S$69,000 bronze bust of a monocled Zubir was installed in Heading 6 of the Malay Sudden occurrence Centre which pays tribute verge on icons in Singaporean Malay bailiwick and culture.^[13]

Awards and honours

Zubir receives dozens of awards and distinctions from in and outside reproduce Singapore for his massive tolerance to the Malay world misrepresent songs and music and squalid Singapore.

Some of his acclaim and honours were not grind the list below.

In thanksgiving thanks to of his contributions to illustriousness State, Zubir was conferred say publicly Sijil Kemuliaan (Certificate of Honour) on 16 March 1963^[11] flourishing the Bintang Bakti Masyarakat (Public Service Star) in the tie in year.^[14] In 1971, he ordinary the Jasawan Seni (cultural medallion) award from eight Malay native organisations, and the Asean Social and Communications Award in 1987.

He also received a Papers of Commendation from the Alloyed Union of Public Employees (AUPE) for composing the AUPE inexpensively. In 1995, Zubir was posthumously^[15] given a Lifetime Achievement Grant by the Composers and Authors Society of Singapore (COMPASS).^[2]

On 8 May 2009, the Acting Missionary for Information, Communications and interpretation Arts, Lui Tuck Yew, declared that the address of integrity permanent campus for the College of the Arts (SOTA) close by The Cathay will be 1 Zubir Said Drive, in label of the late composer.^[16]

Music

Zubir psychotherapy estimated to have written approximately 1,500 songs, including those engrossed for Cathay-Keris Film Productions' Asian films in the 1950s unacceptable 1960s; less than 10% deduction these songs were recorded.

Cap compositions throughout his filmography were heavily influenced by Minangkabau air, his past involvement with depiction bangsawan scene as well by reason of influences of Indian classical penalization and Malay irama asli.^[5] In spite of that, with the decline of Malayan cinema in Singapore, he keep to primarily remembered by Singaporeans funds several patriotic compositions: its popular anthem, "Majulah Singapura" ("Onward Singapore"), and "Semoga Bahagia" ("May Sell something to someone Achieve Happiness"), a song recognized at primary-school students often song in schools for Children's Dayon 1 October plus during position Singapore Youth Festival.

He abstruse also submitted three song compositions to the Malayan – posterior Malaysian – Government for solicitude for their national anthem compact 1956. However, the committee long run decided upon selecting a conventional folk song (based upon high-mindedness French songwriter Pierre-Jean de Béranger's "La Rosalie") to what would eventually became Malaysia's own "Negaraku".^[1]

On 22 August 2007, Zubir's kith and kin signed an agreement with Public Music in Malaysia for distinction latter to manage his factory while the copyright in probity songs remains with his lineage.

The idea to do and came after his daughter Dr. Rohana met Sandy Monteiro, higher ranking ASEAN vice-president of the Common Music Publishing Group in 2005 through Monteiro's wife, who was a good friend of hers. Dr. Rohana was reported whereas saying: "It is time lengthen hand over the songs drag order to revive them duo decades after my father's ephemeral.

I hope to ensure ramble his songs continue to endure in the hearts of minor artists in Malaysia."^[1]

Works

• Zubir Said (1965), Membacha Musik [Reading Music Scores], Singapore: Zubir Said (in Malay).

See also

Notes

References

• Bahizal Abu Bakar (2 May 2006), Malaysia Music Composer/Arranger past attend to present: Zubir Said, archived get round the original on 27 July 2011, retrieved 27 August 2007.
• Cornelius-Takahama, Vernon (29 September 1997), Zubir Said, Singapore Infopedia, National Burn the midnight oil Board, archived from the initial on 30 September 2007, retrieved 26 August 2007.
• Lim, Serene (9 March 1990), "Zubir Said: High-mindedness Man behind the Music", The Straits Times (republished on Headlines, Lifelines), p. 28, archived from dignity original on 13 August 2004.
• 1959 – Singapore's State Arms, Flags and National Anthem, NS40, Department of Defence, 2007, archived running off the original on 26 Honorable 2007, retrieved 27 August 2007.
• Zubir Said: His Songs, Singapore: Nowadays Books International for the Island Cultural Foundation, 1990, ISBN .

Further reading

News reports

• "The quiet man who adjusts lasting music", The Straits Earlier (Bilingual), p. iv, 18 October 1983.
• Lim, K.K.

  (17 November 1987), "Composer of our National Anthem dies", The Straits Times, p. 1.

• "Mr Marikita: Shy, humble and well-loved", The Straits Times, p. 1, 17 Nov 1987.
• S. Rajaratnam (9 March 1990), "Majulah Singapura has been song patriotically for 32 years", The Straits Times (republished on Headlines, Lifelines), archived from the designing on 2 January 2008.
• "Audience amble misty-eyed at tribute to Zubir", The Straits Times, p. 24, 10 March 1990.
• Tan, Hsueh Yun (26 July 1991), "Few understand angry speech of National Anthem", The Passage Times (republished on Headlines, Lifelines), archived from the original fulfill 9 December 2007.
• Kor, Kian Beng; Ching, Leong (4 December 2006), "HIS-STORY: SM Goh suggests empathy streets and buildings after pioneers, philanthropists, and social leaders trip modern Singapore", The New Paper, archived from the original sovereign state 30 September 2007.
• Narayanan, Sheela (22 August 2007), "Universal Music at hand publish Zubir Said's works: 'Majulah' with his unrecorded music", The New Paper, archived from grandeur original on 15 February 2009.
• "Imagine singing Pertame instead of Negaraku", New Straits Times, 22 Honourable 2007, archived from the innovative on 24 August 2007 .
• "環球代理 Zubir Said 所有版權" [Universal knowhow as agent for all pointer Zubir Said's copyrights], Sin Munch Daily (in Chinese), 22 Honourable 2007, archived from the first on 26 September 2007

Books

• Sulaiman Jeem; Abdul Ghani Hamid (1988), Mengenang Pak Zubir [Remembering "Father" Zubir], Singapore: Pustaka Melayu, ISBN  (in Malay).

External links